Heating and agitating apparatus



Dec. 3l, 1929. H. B. KIPPER l HEATING AND AGITATING APPARATUS FiledMarch 5,1924

Dec. 3l, 1929. H. B. Kn= |A= ER- HEATING AND AGITATING `APPARA'I'US`Filed Maron 3. 1924 2 sheets-sheet .2

Patented Dec. 31, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HERMAN B. KIEFER, OIFMUSKEGON, MICHIGAN HEATING AND AGITATING- APPARATUS Application ledMarch 3,

products from shale rock. And the apparatus is designed to be usedwherever the application of heat to the material acted upon by the heatand accompanied by a simultaneous stirring of the material together witha continual grinding or pulverizing of the material during the time thatthe heat is applied is desirable. l

It is the primary object and lpurpose of this invention to produce anapparatus by means of which the process above outlined may be veryeconomically carried out. A further object of the invention is toproduce an apparatus which is capable of withstanding the severe usageto which it is put during service and one particularly capable ofwithstanding thev high temperatures which are used with the same, aswell as any other objects and purposes not at this time specificallystated but which will appear fully and 'in detail as understanding ofthe invention is hadfrom the accompanying drawing in which,

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal vertlcal section of the apparatus of myinvention.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same looking at the structure shown inFig. 1 from the left, and

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section through the construction shownin Fig. 1.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figuresof thev drawings.

In the construction a cylindrical drum 1 of suitable metal is used openat both ends and covered with heat insulating material 2 which may bebrick or equivalent material. Against the ends ofthe cylinder 1 circularheads 3 may be placed which completely close the open ends of the drum.A hollow shaft 4 passes through the heads 3 and is supported by suitablebearings at the upper ends of posts 5 located at each end of drum. Apulley. r6 is fastened to shaft 4 and is adapted to be driven by a belt7 from any suitable source of power. Water is supplied by a pipe 8 toone end of the 1924. serial No.' 696,485. t

hollow shaft 4, the amount thereof being controlled by manually operatedvalve 9 in pipe 8, the water passing through the pipe and through shaft4 and being carried away through any suitable waste pipe 10 at theopposite end of the shaft 4.

A plurality of bars 11,*in the present apparatus shown as four innumber, though this number may be changed, extend lengthwise through thecylinder 1 closely adjacent the inner walls thereof and pass throughopenings in the head plates 3. The bars are placed 'around and areconnected to metal rings 12 which are located in spaced apart relation'within the drum 1. Coiled springs 13 are mounted uponthe outer ends ofthe bars 11 and are held between the outer sides of the head plates 3and pins 14 which pass through the bars 11. These springs undercompression serve to press the head plates 3 against the ends of thedrum' 1. It will be noted that the bars 11 are formed with one edgebrought to substantially knife point and with the movement in vthedirection indicated by the arrow in Fig. 3, said bars serve as Scrapersto keep any of the material introduced into the cylinder 1 from bakingagainst or otherwise becoming secured to the inner walls of the drum,the movement of the bars causing a continual stirring of the materialwithin member 1. The head plates 3 are provided with gear teeth 15around the same. Two shafts 16 and 16al pass through the coveringmaterial 2 to which pinions 17 and 17a are xed, these pinions being inmesh with the teeth 15. The location of the shafts and pinions is bestshown in Fig. 2, the end plates 3 bearing thereon. Said shafts 16 and16n are supported adjacent their ends by suitable posts 18.

A small pulley 19 is fixed on the hollow shaft 4 around which a belt 20passes, the belt also passing around a pulley 21 which is attached toone end of a short shaft 22 and vwhich, through an intermediate gearreduction in the housing 23, drives another shaft 24 at reduced speed.The'shaft 24 is cony the speed of potation ofthe hollow shaft 4 wheneverthe apparatus is in use, and such rotation of the plates 3 serves tomove the scraping bars 11 at a comparatively. slow rate of speed.

The hollow shaft 4 is covered the greater portion of its length' withinthe drum by suitable protective material which may -be placed withinouter sleeves 26. At spaced apart distances on the shaft 4, plates 27are located between the ends of the sleeves 26, each having radiallyextending arms through which rods 28 pass. Beaterjbars 29 are mounted onthe rods 28 by means of short links 30 which are pivotally connected tothe rods 28. A plate 72, as shown in Fig. 1, may be mountedeccentrically on the shaft 4 and bars, somewhat curved attached theretoat one end by means of small brackets 31 and at the other end to theadjacent plate 27. The construction may beused to aid in feeding thematerial from the point where it is entered into thel apparatus towardthe discharge end thereof.

The material to be treated may be passed into the drum 1 through aninlet pipe 32 adjacent which is a second pipe 33 for the introduction ofheated air or' other source of heat. It will be noted the opening in thedrum at the lower end of pipe 32 is flared downwardly, this insuringthat material will not clog or stick on itsl way to the said member.Also the beating and feeding apparatus mounted on the shaft 4 is notextended underneath the pipe 33 so that material is not thrown up intosaid pipe to clog the same.

Adjacent the opposite end of the apparatus, a discharge pipe 34 isprovided at the lower side of the drum and a second discharge pipe 35 atthe upperv side of said drumin which a dam er 36 or other control ismounted. The disc arge pipe 34 leads to a chamber 37 from which anoutlet pipe 38 leads adjacent the upper portion of said chamber; and aninclined pipe 39 is mounted in the chamber with its lower end near thelower side of said chamber in which a suitable screw c onveyer 40 ismounted.

In operation, the material to be acted upon being introduced through thepipe 32 is acted upon by heat supplied through the pipe 33. At the sametime the shaft 4' is rotated and the bars 29 strike and beat thematerial to maintain itin pulverized state, while the bars l1continually scrape tlie'same from the inner "walls of member 1 and stirit in addition to the continual agitation of said material by the beaterbars 29 and the curved eXtensions located at the left hand portion ofthe apparatus. This continual agitation and beating of the material withthe application of heat vcauses a very rapid action of the heat thereon.The material before entrante .may be broken up and ground and theagitation and beating of the same while in the apparatus insures that itwill remain in a finely divided or pulverized state, thereby giving theheat access to the particles for action thereon. A large quantity of thematerial can be treated in this manner where a much smaller quantityonly could be successfully treated otherwise.

The products resulting pass through the discharge opening into thechamber 37; or in some instances part of the products pass out throughthe pipe 35. For instance, in the treatment of coal to secure thegaseous products thereof and coke all of the products are passed to thechamber 37, the gases being drawn out through the pipe 38 to any-desiredplace where the same may he condensed in combination with the usualmethods employed in scrubbing the ley-product gas for light oil andammonia. The solid products are conveyed from the chamber 37 through theagency of the conveyer 40 in the outlet pipe 39. Ordinarily the chamber37 is merely insulated to prevent the escape of heat, but of course, ifnecessary it would be heated to keep any desired temperature. In thetreatl ment of shale rock for the recovery of petroleum products themore volatile gases escape through the pipe 35, while the rock passes tothe chamber 37 together with heavier gase coming from the distillation.

This apparatus is practical in every respect and has so proved inservice. The passage of water through the shaft 4 together withinsulation vof the shaft by the material 25 serve to keep down thetemperatures of the shaft whereby bearing troubles in the head plates 3and in the bearings at the upper ends of posts 5 are avoided. The beaterbars 29 are shaped so as to give the greatest eiciencythough it is to beunderstood that the particular and specific shape may be varied withoutdeparting from the invention. Many other details of the structure andparts thereof may be modified in various ways without `departing fromthe invention and I accordingly do not wish to be limited other than as4defined by the appended claims covering the invention. The specificdisclosures made, while of a practical and operative device is to beconsidered rather as diagrammatic of the invention and not as limitingthe same to any specific constructive details.

I claim:

1. An apparatus of the class described, comprising a cylindrical drumopen at both lends adapted toreceive material to be treated,

a head plate at each end of the drum for closto the inner walls of thedrum, means for rotating the saidplates at comparatively slowl speed, ashaft extending lengthwise of the drum and through said plates, meansfor driving said shaft at comparatively high speed, means for applyingheat to material 1n sald drum and bars movably mounted on the shaft forbeatingr and grinding material located within the drum, substantially asdeized state and for moving it lengthwise ofv 15 said container, slowmoving means for scraping the material free from the inner walls of thecontainer, and means for conducting the products of treatment of thematerial from the container. r

3. An apparatus of the class described, comprising a hollow containeradapted to receive material to be treated, means for heating thematerial to a high degree of temperature, means operated at a` high rateof speed for continuously pulverizing the material and simultaneouslymoving it lengthwise of the container, and means operate?. at a muchslower rate of speed for continuously sera ing the material free fromthe inner wa of the container.

4. 'An` apparatus of the class described,

`comprising a cylindrical drum having open ends, a head p ate closingeach end ,of the drum, bars carried by and between the plates closelyadjacent the inner walls of the drum, meansfor .turning said plates inunison, means forv introducing material into the drum, means for heatingsaid material, means for the discharge of the material from the drumafter treatment thereof, and means for maintaining said material inpulverized state in the drum.

5; An apparatus of the class described, comprising a cylindrical drumhaving open ends and adapted to hold material to be treatcd, a headplate closing each end of the drum, means for heating material in thedrum, a shaft passing through the plates, pivotally connected beaterbars mounted on the shaft and lying lengthwise of the drum, means fordriving the shaft, means for rotating said plates at a slower speed thansaid shaft and means carried by said heads .for scraping the inner wallsofthe drum, substantially as and for the purposes described.

6. An apparatus of the class described,

, comprising a cylindrical drum having open ends, a head plate closingeach end of the drum, means for heating material held in said drum, barslocated closely adjacent the inner walls of the drum between the headsand extending through said heads, a spring on the of the heads, meansforintroducing material to be treated into the drum at one end thereof,means for effecting the discharge of said material .and its productsafter treatment from the opposite end of the drum, and means forcontinuously beating and grinding the material within said drum duringits treatment, substantially as described.

' 7. An apparatus of the class described, comprising a hollow memberhaving opposed open ends, a plate closing each end of the member, meansfor holding the plates in tight engagement with said member, meansconnected with said plates for movement therewith to scra e the innerwalls of the member, means or supplying material to said member near oneend thereof, means for effecting the discharge of the products oftreatment of said material adjacent the opposite end of the member,means for supplying heat to the material, and means for maintaining thematerial in pulverized state while in the said member.

8. An apparatus of, the class described, comprising a cylindrical drumadapted to hold material to be treated, means for heating said materialin the drum, a shaft located@ centrally of and extending through thedrum,

plates located in spaced apart relation on the shaft, rods extendingthrough the lates at a distance from the shaft, said rods eing spacedapart' around the shaft, beater bars pivotally mounted on the rods,means for driving the shaft at relatively high speed, and means forcontinuously scraping the inner walls of the drum during the time theshaftis rotating.

9. An apparatus of the class described, comprising a cylindrical drumhaving open ends, a plate closing each end of the drum, means forapplying heat to material held in said drum, a shaft passing through theplates and lengthwise of the drum on which said plates are rotatablymounted, .bearings for the shaft, means fordriving theshaft, otherplates secured to the shaft in spaced apart relation, rods carried .bysaid other plates at a distance from the shaft, links ivotally mountedon' the rods, bars carried) by the links substantially parallel tov saidrods, scraper bars located etween and carried by said first plates andmounted closel adjacent the inner walls of the drum, an means forturning said first plates at relatively low speed, substantially asdescribed.

` 10. A construction containing the elements in combination defined inclaim ,'9,y combined with means for driving said rst plates from saidshaft, means for introducing material` into the drum adjacent one endthereof, means foref'fecting the discharge of the products of thematerial adjacent the opposite e'nd of the drum, and means for coolingsaid shaft, sub stantially as described.

' 11. An apparatus of the class descrlbed,

loo

comprising -a cylindrical drum having open ends and provided adjacentone end with an inlet conduit for the passage of material to be treatedinto the drum and a second inlet` conduit for the supplying of a heatthere- 5 through, and further provided adjacent its opposite end with adischarge outlet, plates closing the open ends of the drum, said plateshaving gear teeth cut around the same, two shafts mounted parallel tothe longitudinal axis of the drum, two pinions on each shaft on whichthe said plates ride, means for driving one of the shafts atcomparatively low speed, scraper bars carried by and between the platesclose to the inner walls of the drum, and means continuously operablewhile the plates are turning `for beating and pulverizing the materialWithin the drum.

12. An apparatus of the class described, comprising a cylindrical drumhaving open ends and adapted to receive material to be treated byapplication of heat thereto, means for heating the material within thedrum, means for closing the ends of the drum comprising end plates,means for driving said plates to rotate them in unison, scraper barscarried by and between the end plates close to the inner walls of thedrum, a shaft eX- tending centrally of the drum and through the plates,heat insulating material over the shaft, members connected to the shaftin spaced apart relation, rods carried by the members, beater barsparalleling the shaft pivot-ally connected to said rods, and means fordriving the shaft simultaneously with the rotation of said end platesbut at a higher rate of speed.

13. An apparatus of the class described comprising a cylindrical drumadapted to hold material to be treated, means for heating the materialin thej drum, a shaft located centrally of and extending through thdrum, said shaft having a longitudinal central passage therethrough,means for circulating a cooling fluid through said shaft, the insulationmeans covering .said shaft, means for rotating the shaft atlf'iighspeed, beating and grinding and pulverizing members mounted on the shaftat a distance therefrom to act upon the material within the drum, meansfor scraping material from the walls of the drum and means for drivingsaidmeans at a much slowers eed than the speed of movement of thebeating and grindin means connected to said shaft substantlally as de-"a scribed.

In testimony whereof I aixix my signature.

HERMAN B. KIPPER.

